Combee Line/DPPt
Combee can be found in numerous locations through the use of Honey Trees. Honey Trees can be found on Routes 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 218, 221, and 222, as well as the Valley Windworks, Floaroma Meadow, Fuego Ironworks, and the shortcut around Eterna Forest. Combee - it's either usable or it's not. Its usability depends on its gender, with females being a lot more useful than males for one reason: female Combee are the only ones that can evolve into Vespiquen. As such, male Combee are often ranked alongside such other powerhouses as Unown as one of the worst Pokemon in a Nuzlocke. If your luck manages to go through, however, and you obtain a female Combee, consider yourself very lucky, as a Vespiquen can prove to be a potent ally in the early part of a Nuzlocke run through the Sinnoh region. Important Matchups - Platinum = * Mars (Valley Windworks): Let's face it - whether you have a male or female Combee, you will not be using it against Mars. Even the Zubat will cause some heavy damage before you take it down, with its 5HKO on Bite combating your 4HKO Gust. * Gym #2 - Gardenia (Eterna City, Grass-type): A Vespiquen should only know Gust, Bug Bite, and Power Gem as attacking moves by this point. Fortunately, that will be enough for this Gym. Gust will always 2HKO Turtwig and Bug Bite can 2HKO the Cherrim, while the two of them combined won't even dent a Vespiquen's defenses. Gust and Bug Bite will only 3-4HKO the Roserade, but again, it's not a problem - Grass Knot and Magical Leaf will do very little, and Poison Sting, the only move in this entire fight that can hit Vespiquen even neutrally, will do even less. Just watch out for Stun Spore, and be wary of potential poison from Poison Sting. * Jupiter (Galactic Eterna Building): Power Gem can OHKO the Zubat, but that is about the extent of Vespiquen's usefulness in this fight. At your best, Vespiquen can only 5HKO the Skuntank, while Night Slash will 4HKO without a crit. Take into account that it outspeeds, the high critical hit ratio, and Screech as a support move, and you've got a fight that Vespiquen should avoid. * Gym #3 - Fantina (Hearthome City, Ghost-type): Power Gem will 3-4HKO Duskull; compare that to Duskull's 9HKO with Shadow Sneak, and go for it. Haunter is another safe fight - Power Gem 3HKOs while Shadow Claw might not even 6HKO. Mismagius, however, is dangerous. Shadow Ball can defeat Vespiquen within 3 hits, while Power Gem won't even kill in 5. * Rival (Hearthome City): Lo and behold, Barry decided to let his Starly evolve, making it a much bigger threat! While Power Gem will 2HKO, Staravia's Wing Attack will 3HKO, making this fight dangerous. Power Gem will also 2HKO Ponyta, while Ember will only 5HKO - just watch that you don't get burned. Roselia can barely touch you, you're fine. Just use Gust, you should still have it. Prinplup might be a bit tricky to take down, since both Pokémon's attacks will do approximately equal amounts of damage to each other - Prinplup outspeeds, however, so it has the advantage. Gust can 3HKO Grotle, while Tackle will be lucky to 10HKO - you're safe against Grotle. What you are not safe against, however, is Monferno - Flame Wheel can 3HKO. Stay away from Monferno. * Gym #4 - Maylene (Veilstone City, Fighting-type): Meditite can get two-shot by Gust, while Confusion will do minimal damage. Keep away from the Machoke, as Rock Tomb has a chance to 2HKO. As for the Lucario, it's an uphill battle that you're sure to lose. Metal Claw can 4-5HKO, while your best attacks won't do very much thanks to Lucario's Steel-typing. * Rival (Pastoria City): Power Gem will 2HKO his Staravia, but Staravia's outspeed 3HKO Wing Attack will still seriously cripple Vespiquen. Buizel should go down easily enough to Silver Wind or Power Gem, although it will be able to get a couple of Aqua Jets off. Roselia is, once again, a laugh - just use Return or Slash. Ponyta can be a fairly safe fight, as Power Gem 2HKOs and Ember will 5HKO - just be wary of a burn chance. Grotle will be 2HKOed by Silver Wind, while Bite will do minimum damage. Keep away from Monferno for obvious reasons. Prinplup's Peck will 4-5HKO, while Return will 3-4HKO, making this fight somewhat simple, yet still risky. * Gym #5 - Crasher Wake (Pastoria City, Water-type): Gyarados knows the useful Waterfall attack, which can 3HKO Vespiquen, while Vespiquen is slower and its Power Gem will also 3HKO before Waterfall flinch; recommended to stay away. Quagsire also packs Rock Tomb, which will severely maim or even kill Vespiquen with its 2-3HKO, while Attack Order can only 3HKO. Stay away from Floatzel, too. It will outspeed, and Ice Fang with that flinch chance will be very painful to go up against. * Cyrus (Celestic Town): Attack Order will OHKO Sneasel - just be wary of Ice Fang, which can bring Vespiquen down to half in a single blow. Vespiquen's Power Gem will 2HKO Golbat, while Golbat's Air Cutter will 4HKO. While it sounds OK on paper, just know that Golbat outspeeds, Air Cutter has a high crit chance, and Sneasel's Ice Punch will have severely crippled you already. Murkrow is very dangerous, however. It outspeeds, and Drill Peck will 2HKO. * Rival (Canalave City): Staraptor is very dangerous - while Power Gem can 2HKO him, his Aerial Ace can 2HKO Vespiquen, and he outspeeds. For this reason, Heracross is just as bad, as his Aerial Ace will 2HKO, while your best can't even 3HKO. Roserade is still a joke - just hope that GrassWhistle-Leech Seed combo doesn't sprout. Floatzel can get 2HKOed by Attack Order, but know that Buizel can outspeed and hit with Aqua Jet. Power Gem has the potential to 2HKO Rapidash; just remember that Fire Spin can 4HKO before the chip damage, so don't stick around if you don't have to. I don't think I need to stress how tough Infernape is - just stay back. Torterra is as simple as it's always been - just use Attack Order. Empoleon vs Vespiquen is a bad matchup on your side, as Aerial Ace has a chance to 3HKO while you won't even be able to reach 6. * Gym #6 - Byron (Canalave City, Steel-type): Vespiquen has no use in this gym - all of his Pokemon have an SE move, while Vespiquen will be unable to even dent any of his Pokemon. * Saturn (Lake Valor): Golbat's Air Cutter can 3HKO, and so can your Power Gem; Golbat outspeeds, though, so stay away from it. You can use Attack Order on the Bronzor for a 3HKO - just watch out for Rock Tomb, which can 4HKO. Staying away from Toxicroak is a good idea too. Poison Jab is a guaranteed 3HKO, while Return will only be lucky to 3HKO. * Mars (Lake Verity): Be careful against Golbat - it's packing a Flying-type move now, and it will hurt; Power Gem will 3HKO, but it is very, very risky. Attack Order will 3HKO Bronzor - just be careful if it uses Iron Defense. Purugly is still fairly dangerous, though. It receives a free hit with Fake Out, and in conjunction with Slash, it can easily cause some trouble. * Gym #7 - Candice (Snowpoint City, Ice-type): Sneasel will be OHKOed by Attack Order, while it can only 3HKO with Ice Shard or Aerial Ace, making this fairly safe. Stay away from Piloswine. Avalanche will 2HKO, and Stone Edge has the potential to OHKO without a crit, while you can only 3HKO it with your best moves. Abomasnow is another risky bet, as Avalanche will 2HKO, but so will Attack Order. It might be best to just stay away. You should also stay away from Froslass, as Blizzard can 2HKO, while Power Gem can only 3HKO. * Cyrus (Galactic HQ): This fight is fairly dangerous all-around. Murkrow will 2HKO with Drill Peck. Crobat is the safest part of this fight, but you still have to take caution - Air Cutter will 3HKO, and it outspeeds. Sneasel outspeeds and can 2HKO with Ice Punch. However, you are able to OHKO with Attack Order, so if you have enough health to endure an attack, go for it. * Saturn (Galactic HQ): Golbat can 4HKO without a crit, while your Power Gem will only 3HKO. Attack Order can potentially 2HKO Bronzor. However, unless you're running Return, you won't be able to do much to Toxicroak. Keep away from it. * Mars and Jupiter (Spear Pillar, tag battle with rival): Attack Order can 2HKO either of the Bronzor - take them out before they set up any screens, especially Reflect. Taking on any of the Golbats is risky, especially with 4HKO Air Cutter attacks. However, if you are willing to take some hits, Power Gem will 3HKO either of them. Fortunately enough, Attack Order has a chance to OHKO Purugly - just steer clear of Aerial Ace. Going up against Skuntank, however, is a poor idea, as it packs STAB Night Slash and Flamethrower. Leave the Skuntank to another Pokemon. * Cyrus (Distortion World): Keep away from this battle by all means. Houndoom will 2HKO with Flamethrower, Honchkrow will 2HKO with Drill Peck, touching Gyarados and Crobat will prove to be a problem, and if they've weakened you enough to take on Weavile, know that it will take down 80% of your HP with a single Ice Punch, and Attack Order will no longer OHKO it. * Giratina (Distortion World): Giratina is packing AncientPower. Stay away from it unless you intend to throw a Master Ball. * Gym #8 - Volkner (Sunyshore City, Electric-type): Jolteon is a fairly dangerous fight. It will 3HKO with Charge Beam - unless its first attack raises its stat, turning into a 2HKO. Raichu is safer, as Attack Order will 2HKO and Charge Beam will only 3HKO even with the Special Attack boost. Avoid the Luxray - the best you can do is 3HKO while it has all 3 elemental fangs, particularly STAB Thunder Fang, which can 2HKO. Stay away from Electivire, too. ThunderPunch will certainly 2HKO you, and your best will only 3HKO. * Rival (Pokémon League): Staraptor's Aerial Ace has the potential to 2HKO, and even though Power Gem can 2HKO, Staraptor outspeeds, making this fight dangerous. Heracross' Aerial Ace can 3HKO, his Rock Slide has the potential to OHKO, while Sludge Bomb will 4HKO. Still very dangerous. Snorlax's Body Slam will 3HKO, while Attack Order can only 4HKO. Roserade isn't as laughable as before, as Shadow Ball can still take out a chunk of HP. However, Attack Order is a guaranteed 2HKO, so it's still fairly simple. Attack Order will 2HKO Floatzel too, but it's still a dangerous fight, as Ice Fang can 3-4HKO, and it outspeeds. Rapidash is very dangerous to fight, too. A Sunny Day-boosted Fire Blast can OHKO, and even without the sun boost, it'll wipe out about 75% and has a burn chance. Torterra can be a little risky, since Torterra outspeeds and Crunch will 5HKO. However, Attack Order will 2-3HKO, so if you have enough health, Vespiquen can take it down. You should not send Vespiquen against Infernape or Empoleon, however. Infernape can 2HKO with Flamethrower, and you don't have anything that can sufficiently damage Empoleon. * Elite Four Aaron (Pokémon League, Bug-type): Although Power Gem can OHKO Yanmega, be careful, as Air Slash will 3HKO and has a flinch chance. Avoid Scizor, as his Iron Head will 4HKO and has a flinch chance, compared to your Power Gem 4HKOing with no added bonus. Fighting Aaron's Vespiquen can be safe, as your Power Gem can OHKO with a high damage roll. Just stay cautious of an offensive Power Gem. Stay away from Heracross - Stone Edge has a chance to OHKO without a crit. Drapion can be 3HKOed by Attack Order if you stay wary of Ice Fang and Aerial Ace. * Elite Four Bertha (Pokémon League, Ground-type): Fighting Whiscash is fairly good, as Attack Order will 2-3HKO. Just watch out for any Sandstorm chip damage. Stay away from Gliscor, as the elemental fangs will hurt. Hippowdon is also a dangerous fight, as you can't touch it, and Stone Edge will 2HKO if you haven't been chipped down enough by Sandstorm. Stay away from Golem, as it has elemental punches which can 3HKO. Finally, Rhyperior... If you value your bee's life, you will keep it away from that Rock Wrecker. * Elite Four Flint (Pokémon League, Fire-type): Fire-types? Against a Bug-type? Lemme break this down for you. Houndoom will 2HKO with Flamethrower. Flareon's Overheat will 2HKO even after the stat drop. Rapidash can 2HKO with Flare Blitz and OHKO in sun. Infernape and that Flare Blitz is going to be enough to push you into the red from full health. And that Magmortar... Oh, it's Flamethrower can 2HKO without sun. And what if it burns you? Short answer? Don't fight Flint. * Elite Four Lucian (Pokémon League, Psychic-type): If Mr. Mime sets up Reflect on its first turn, switch away. Otherwise, this fight should be simple. Attack Order OHKOs Mr. Mime, Espeon, and Alakazam - just watch out for their powerful Psychic attacks and Mr. Mime's Thunderbolt - both will 3HKO. For Bronzong, use Attack Order and hope it crits. It's Psychic isn't that strong, but if it sets up a Calm Mind, get out of there and let someone else handle it. As for Gallade, it's recommended to stay back, as that Stone Edge will OHKO without a crit. * Champion Cynthia (Pokémon League): Against Spiritomb, know that you outspeed, your Attack Order 3HKOs, and Spiritomb's Dark Pulse can only 4HKO. Roserade is another weak one, but is still stronger than Barry's - Sludge Bomb will 3HKO. If you have high enough HP, Attack Order can take it down within 2 hits. As far as the Champion fight goes, though, this is the real extent of Vespiquen. Togekiss' Air Slash can 2HKO, while you can't even manage a 3HKO with Power Gem. As for Lucario, you can't touch it, while it can kill you with its deadly Stone Edge - stay away. Milotic is also a bad matchup, as Ice Beam can 2HKO with a high damage roll, while you can only 3HKO. As for the Garchomp herself, it can 2HKO you with Giga Impact or Dragon Rush, while you'd be lucky to 4HKO with Attack Order. * Post-Game: A post-game where the main event is fighting a Fire-Steel type Legendary in the middle of a mountain filled with Rock-types and more Fire-types? With a Bug-Flying type? Best to let Vespiquen sit this one out. }} Moves At the very start, Combee will know Gust and Sweet Scent. And... that's really it. In Platinum only, it will learn Bug Bite at Level 13, but nothing else. If you have a female Combee, however, it doesn't stop there. Upon evolution, at level 21, it learns Power Gem, which is really useful for taking down Flying-types you're forced to fight. Heal Order and Toxic are learned at levels 25 and 27, which, when combined with good defenses, makes Vespiquen an effective staller. Level 31 gives it Slash, which, if you don't want to use a Return TM, works ok. Captivate at level 33 is essentially useless. Then, at level 37, Vespiquen learns Attack Order, arguably one of the best Bug-type attacks in the game. At levels 39 and 43, it learns Swagger and Destiny Bond, but learning those moves would be a very bad idea. Using a Heart Scale at the Move Relearner will enable Vespiquen to learn Defend Order, increasing its already-good Defensive stats. Another Relearner move is Confuse Ray, if you're going for a defensive set. From the Game Corner, you can teach her Return, for another decent physical attack. For Flying-type STAB, Aerial Ace is available, although at heavy competition with other Pokemon. What is not in competition is Silver Wind, for a decent Bug-type special attack. From Galactic HQ is the TM Sludge Bomb, to increase type versatility. X-Scissor is also another TM available, but with Attack Order, it's not recommended. Recommended moveset: * All-out Attacker: Attack Order, Power Gem, Silver Wind/Sludge Bomb, Return/Aerial Ace * Bulky (Call to Order): Attack Order, Defend Order, Heal Order, Toxic Other Combee's stats Vespiquen's stats * What Nature do I want? Any nature that reduces Speed should work well for a Vespiquen, considering a Speed stat of 40 won't outspeed much in the late game. You could also use a defense-boosting nature to increase her fairly-decent defenses to a better level. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? As soon as humanly possible, since a Combee is useless. Before Gardenia would be the best choice. Again, if you have a male Combee, you should chuck it. * How good is the Combee line in a Nuzlocke? A male Combee? Useless. A female Combee, though, is much better, although it still has its flaws. Vespiquen learns a couple of good moves - in particular, Power Gem and Attack Order - but other than them, its movepool is very limited. Furthermore, its usefulness is scattered throughout the game. It becomes useful during Gardenia, but then its next major period of use is during the lake battles against Saturn and Jupiter at the Sinnoh lakes - almost 5 gyms and several grinding sessions later! Even its theoretical successes in the Elite Four (particularly against Lucian) is mostly due to overgrinding for Cynthia. Fortunately, what it does, it does well - Grass and Fighting can do almost nothing, and even the super-effective Flying-type is taken aback by Vespiquen's moderate bulk. If you remember your limits and plan wisely, a Vespiquen can be a useful asset to your Nuzlocke team. Just remember to skimp out on the male Combee - it's not gonna last any farther than Eterna City. * Weaknesses: Flying, Fire, Electric, Ice, Rock (x4) * Resistances: Bug, Fighting (x0.25), Grass (x0.25) * Immunities: Ground * Neutralities: Normal, Poison, Ghost, Steel, Water, Psychic, Dragon, Dark Category:Diamond/Pearl/Platinum Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses